Filled with the historic sites, Old San
Juan has always been a major connecting point to the Caribbean,
with old world charm and a vibrant crossroads culture. This
beautiful and historic city makes a great vacation, overnight stay or just a tour
(El Morrow photo
Robinxoarms Blog).
The
narrow blue cobblestone streets, lined by ornate colonial
buildings, lead to tropical gardens and amazing plazas such as
Plaza de Armas and Plaza de San Jose
as well as cafes and trendy Sofo and other bars
like La Barrachina, birthplace of the pi�a colada (photo:
Budget Travel). And the shops, especially at Calle del
Cristo representing a shopper's paradise, can
lead to surprising finds (see
Shopping Tour
below).
La
Bombonera (259 Calle San Francisco), a famous old-style
Cuban coffee shop and bakery, serves Pan de
Mallorca, a ham, egg and cheese sugar-powdered
buttery bun for breakfast--the Latino McDonalds (photo:
Serious Eats).
La Fonda del Jibarito (280 Calle
Sol) has authentic local food like the Criollo
(indigenous Spanish) classic Chillo Entero (whole fried
snapper) and Grilled Garlic Shrimp with Mofongo (refried
plantains) smothered in the classic Aji-li Mojili (garlic
and chili sauce).
Head away from the port and turn left on Calle Fortaleza
for souvenir shops, crafts
(Puerta Rican Arts & Crafts), art galleries (Galer�a
S�nchez) and jewelers (Effy
Jewelers and Blue Diamond, 202 Fortaleza, with the Hearts
on Fire diamond and MarahLago Larimar).
Listen here to the classic In
My Old San Juan while touring.
Continue on Fortaleza for restaurants like La
Barrachina (104 Calle Fortaleza), birthplace of the pi�a colada,
with a free Flamenco dance show with dinner.
This bracelet
of Topaz, Rutilated Quartz, and Golden Druze, illustrates the
gorgeous creations
found at Boveda (209 Cristo),
handcrafted by jewelry artists locally and worldwide
(photo:
Boveda). See
its jewelry
online.
Take a look
in at the Boveda boutique, an artwork of its own,
with its luminous interior of handmade lamps, antiques
and Art Nouveaux reproductions (left photo:
Travel & Sports)
Along the Cristo at
99, artisan
Manolo Diazmakes interesting sculptures from
cast-off objects such as
old mirrors,
wooden shutters and antique windows.
Don't miss El Museo del Ni�o
(Children's Museum), at 150 Cristo, with playhouse
villages and dress-up costumes, a science center and a miniature
television studio.
The beautiful Cathedral of San Juan
Bautista (151 Cristo), the second oldest cathedral in the Americas,
holds the tomb of Ponce de Leon, Puerta Rico's first governor
(photo:
Cruise Ship Captain).
Countless bars, quirky cafes and coffee shop/ bakeries
line the calles.
Step right back into the old world
charm of Hotel El
Convento (a former convent at 100 Cristo) and the colorful El Picoteo overlooking its
open-air courtyard, with a terrace overlooking the calle
as well. Have a mojito and great
tapas,
the flora and fauna of the happy hour (photo:
Coastal Living).
Art galleries in Old San Juan vary from
hole-in-the-wall treasures to opulent elegant places.
An oasis of shaded courtyard, fountain
and arched halls,Galer�a Botello provides a
contemplative sanctuary for
its iconic sculptures and paintings at
208 Cristo (photo:
Botello). See
online gallery.
Galeria Fosil Arte,
200 Cristo, exhibits real fossils in paintings,
sculptures, etchings silk-screens and lithographs by artist Radames Rivera.
Continue on Cristo toPlaza de San Jose, with the statue of Ponce de Leon in
front of La
Iglesia San Jos�, the second oldest church in the Americas
with
re-discovered 16th century murals.
Go right at Plaza de San Jose one block on Calle San Sebasti�n
and, at 102, have great
Mofongo Relleno
at El Patio
de Sam. And a couple of blocks up on Calle Sol is La Fonda del Jibarito, an excellent choice for
local food.
Turn right again and come back on
Calle San Jose, for more serious shopping, including
art galleries (Obra
Galleria) and antiques.
St. Francis & Stigmata Painting Detail
El
Alcazar, 103 Calle San Jose, is the largest
emporium of antique furniture, silver, and art objects
in the Caribbean (see
online catalog).
Pictured is a detail from a 17th
century Spanish colonial oil painting on canvas
(photo:
El Alcazar).
Continue to the
Plaza de Armas.
Ponce de Leon
This bronze statue was made from captured British
cannons from the failed attack in 1792 (photo:
Wikipedia).
A cozy spot with a sun-lit patio out back
just off the
Plaza de San Jos� at 102 Calle San Sebasti�n, El Patio de
Sam has the best burgers in Old San Juan and great
Mofongo Relleno as well as the Lady Killer cocktail
(its name is the sign of a good watering hole since the '50s)
Continue on to the Plaza Colon, with the tall
statue of Christopher Columbus.
Turn right at Plaza
Colon
one block back to the tour start on Calle Fortaleza--
actually this is the area known as South of Fortaleza or
SoFo for short.
This area around Plaza
Colon is known for its vibrant music and nightlife.
Caficultura The best coffee in town is found at this Caficultura cafe, in
front of Plaza
Colon at
401 Calle San Francisco. Try the Chicken Breast Tower with
Tostones (photos:
Coastal Living).
This is
SoFo (South of Fortaleza), a popular area for fine dining
and nightlife. Stop in at
Aguaviva to see its ice-blue
neon jellyfish decor.
What began as the
'Nuevo Latino' cuisine, with a blend of Spanish, classic
Latino, Puerto Rican and later International influences, resulted in the semi-annual
SoFo Old San Juan Culinary Festival, with food displays
outside restaurants, tables set up in the streets, artisan
booths and live music stages.
A highly rated 'Conde
Nast Top 100' restaurant and wine bar at
317 Calle Fortaleza, Marmalade
offers Californian-French cuisine with local ingredients, including its
signature
White
Bean Soup(photo:
Open Table).
With cabaret-style decor at 364 Calle Fortaleza,
Dragonfly offers Chino-Latino fusion cuisine, such as
its delicious
Peking Duck Nachos (Fried Wonton Skins) as well as a
noodle bar. It's a popular nightclub as well (photo:
joelli).
Amidst
neon-lighted decor with upscale latino seafood, Aguaviva (at 364 Calle Fortaleza
near Plaza Col�n), has an excellent raw bar
with many inventive cervices, a great calamari sandwich
and Grilled Mahi Mahi with Celery Root
Mofongo
and guava balsamic syrup as well as
its Watermelon Sangria signature drink.
This is the club that began the SoFo
'Nuevo Latino' scene with a vibrant ambiance and
pan-Latino food.
Ropa ViejaNachos
With its large lively bar, colorful interior and
sunlit courtyard at 363 Calle Fortaleza, the Parrot Club
has excellent affordable dishes like Ropa Vieja
(shredded beef in tomato sauce) Nachos. Try the
Parrot Passion house drink (photo:
Trip Advisor).
Old San Juan has a great variety of
accommodations in all price ranges.
Hotel Milano
(see rates-low price guarantee) (307 Calle
Fortaleza) is well regarded with
affordable rooms in a restored classical building in the heart
of Old San Juan.
Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino
(see rates-low price guarantee), a favorite of cruise
visitors, has a splashy casino, great room views, reasonable
rates, Palio's Tuscan-style grill and Chicago's 'build-your-own'
burgers onsite as well as
nearby pocket-sizedPlaza Arturo Somohanowith real
artisan crafts.
Known for its old world charm inside and out,
Hotel El Convento (see rates-low price guarantee)
(100 Calle del Cristo)
has been exquisitely restored with period furniture in
its rooms to capture the historic mood. Yet this
business friendly hotel has all the modern conveniences
and offers guest access to an Isla Verde beach club.
Cervantes
Hotel
Cervantes Hotel (see rates-low price guarantee) is a
small intimate hotel in the heart of Old San Juan
with a close walk to the cruise ship piers. Every
room has a balcony overlooking the colonial streets.
The hotel has the award winning Panza restaurant, coffee shop and lounge.
Continental breakfast is included.
San Juan--Caribbean
Connection.
A major air and sea connecting point to the Caribbean, San Juan is
one of the world's busiest cruise ports as well as the Caribbean's
busiest airport..
The Old San Juan Piers,
pictured above, as well as the Navy
Frontier Pier in the background (rarely used) and the Pan American Pier
across the bay (used for the largest ships) are the major cruise ship
docking areas in the San Juan port. (photo:
Old San Juan).
Embarking/disembarking, as
well as visiting, cruise ships mostly use the Old San Juan Piers,
allowing their passengers to walk to major attractions in Old San Juan.
Cruise Destinations.
Available cruise destinations from San Juan include St. Thomas (US
Virgin Islands), Tortola (British Virgin Islands), St. Martin/St.
Maarten, St. Kitts and Guadelope in the Leeward Islands,
Dominica, St Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent, Grenada and Tobago in the
Windward Islands and Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire in the Netherland
Antilles (ABC Islands) off the coast of South America.
These
destinations are more easily reached by a cruise from San Juan after a short flight
there, rather
than after a long cruise from the US mainland.
San Juan Airport.
The busiest airport in the Caribbean, the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)
(current
weather conditions) is
located about 12 miles from the Old San Juan Piers.
Airport
Ground Transport.Taxi service, usually in a white van, from the San Juan Airport to the
Old San Juan Cruise Ship Piers takes 45 minutes and costs $19 one-way (check with
driver before boarding). Limos may be arranged for pickup at the
airport. Rail is not available.
Rental cars
are available at the airport. Buses, sometimes
arranged by the cruise line, are also available
at a cost of 75� (coins only).
The airport bus stop is located on the upper departure level at the far
right, with signs marked 'Parada' and timetables displayed. For Old San
Juan, take B-40 or C-45 one stop to Isla Verde (at Denny's restaurant),
then A-5 to the Old San Juan bus station near Cruise Ship Pier 4 (stop 2 on
free trolley map).
Airport Cruise Connections.
Upon properly entering San Juan, Caribbean cruise
passengers can go from the gates serving the large intercontinental jets
to Ground Transport above that takes
them to the San Juan Port's cruise ship piers.
US
Territory. Since Puerto Rico is a US
territory, passengers on US flights to/from San Juan are making US city
to city flights, and may freely enter/exit San Juan, after only passing
security (except USDA clearing bags on exit). Passengers on international flights must clear US immigration
and customs when entering San Juan.
La
Bombonera (259 Calle San Francisco), a famous old-style
Cuban coffee shop and bakery, serves
Pan de
Mallorca, a ham, egg and cheese sugar-powdered
buttery bun for breakfast--the Latino McDonalds (photo:
Serious Eats).
